The Weasley Charm
by sunkissedbubbletea
Summary: Fleur falls for William. Hard. What she doesn't realise, is that falling for Bill means invoking the wrath of the Weasleys. (She just loves him way too much).
1. 01 - ‘money, ain’t it funny?’

Thinking of the word flowers, what would you think of? Tall, winding vines with flowers haphazardly dotted about? Or would you think of the camellia, a faded pink, the same shade as the tip of your fingers in a frigid winter.

Fleur wouldn't describe herself as either. If she had a say in it, she'd say she wanted nothing to do with flowers. They were dull and felt slow, and definitely did not feel like her, even though they were her namesake.

She stood in the middle of the Diagon Alley, on a particularly cold April day. She looked up at what she had learnt had been the second oldest building in the capital of wizarding London, Gringotts Bank. She pulled her woollen hat down at the back of her head, and began to walk towards the building which could change her life.

In two months, there would be the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament, and then Fleur would decide what to do with her life. And then, well, she'd have to do it.

Fleur hadn't decided what exactly she wanted to do, but banking seemed like a safe bet. It might have been too safe, but then again, what else would she do? She wouldn't be getting the prize money from the Triwizard Tournament unless all three of the other competitors decided to fail tremendously while attempting the third task.

If nothing else, her English would improve, and maybe she would be able to get a cosy job in wizarding England.

Inside Gringotts was just as spectacular and old as outside. The hall stretched out for what seemed like miles, wherever you looked there would be a dark marble, which reminded Fleur of Tuileries Palace, which he had visited in her youth when she was too young to understand how different she was to the other children who toured the palace.

However, the two places were definitely not the same, Gringotts had a lot more angry, stressed out looking goblins wherever you looked, and even more angry, stressed out adults walking about.

Fleur felt incredibly out of her depth. Like a child looking to fit in with the grown ups, she moved towards the least intimidating goblin in the aray of counters under the 'QUERIES' sign.

"What's _your_ problem?" The goblin, with long, pointed ears, asked her moodily.

"Em, I am looking for work." Fleur asked, pronouncing everything as it should be, or as close to it as she could get.

The goblin perked up, almost imperceptibly. "So you're looking to become a curse-breaker, are you?"

Fleur's brows pulled together and she shook her head slightly, "what eez that? Curse breaker?"

"What is that? Have you ever been to a old archaeology site?" The goblin spat out, the flecks glinting under the light, "curse breakers try and undo the curses which keep the gold hidden, away from us."

"Oh!" Fleur tried not to show her disgust as the spit she felt on her arm. However, the goblin had gotten the wrong idea from her statement, and decided she was interested.

He tapped a piece of parchment paper and it cleared to show a picture of a group of people in front of pyramids, which she knew to be in Egypt. It was small, she could make out 4 people with big grins on their faces.

They seemed like the average tourists, and she would suspect nothing different if it weren't for the equipment they wore, and the wands poking out of their bags.

Towering above the rest in the picture, was a tall ginger who's smile seemed to be positively glowing (or maybe it was the sweat which made him seem to glow). It made her smile slightly but also she knew that she was not cut out for that sort of work, and she turned to face the goblin:

He looked at her with such a expectancy and even hope, that she felt bad saying she would not be able to do something like that. So, she went for a more diplomatic approach:

"I would love to do something like that. But, I will only stay in England in summer." She nodded, trying to look assertive.

"Oh." He went back to being moody, "Well you _can_ fill out a form and get a summer placement as a desk worker. That's what curse breakers do when they're in between jobs anyways."

He seemed insistent on her becoming a curse breaker, and before anything escalated she took a form from the desk and smiled and nodded in what she hoped looked like a sincere way.

"Thank you for the time," he looked a bit dazzled at the even wider smile she sent him as she buttoned up the top of her coat, twirled on her heel and walked out.

That was vaguely successful, and with any luck, she would be working in Gringotts this summer. Maybe that would give her some direction.

 **So, I want to have a go at writing something the full way through, and thought I would give Bill and Fleur some love as I have read nearly nothing about their relationship on . This chapter is kind of too short, but I see it as more of a prelude to the rest of the story that I will probably never look at again. Wish me luck!**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	2. 02 - ‘should i give up, or‘

"Oui, Madame Maxime," Fleur nodded demurely.

"Try your best, but nobody is expecting too much," is basically what she had said- but faster, in a low tone away from prying ears.

Fleur couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself, for not being faster, more careful, or just altogether better during the first two tasks.

Madame Maxime hadn't meant it in such an angry, disappointed way. She just hadn't come to fail, and Fleur could sadly understand that. _She_ hadn't come to fail.

The woman she had come to idolise, patted her on the back sharply, in what she assumed was supposed to be a comforting manner, and briskly paced out of the tent.

Fleur looked around, vaguely out of embarrassment, hoping nobody had seen her awkward altercation with her headmistress.

She was lucky that she hadn't been spotted, but instead whisked away into a conversation with her mother and Gabrielle.

"Maman!" She giggled at her mum's fretting over her wellbeing, trying to take her own mind off her current ranking amongst the other champions in the room.

"Tu sais que je m'inquiète pour toi," her mother has leant in and said quietly. Her blonde hair, the same as her daughters' seemed to shine underneath the bright light streaming through the tall windows of the chamber.

Gabrielle had been holding onto her mother's hand, and brought them both in for a big hug. "I will be watch-ing you," she said in slightly broken English, and Fleur giggled some more.

She was just happy to see them, before the third task took place, because she had no idea what would happen, and they seemed to bring a comfort with their loud and quiet personalities.

Harry Potter walked into the room and Gabrielle with her infectious enthusiasm waved to him. Fleur had to admit that sometimes her sister was just so cute! Nobody could be upset or angry around her.

Harry waved back at her with a grin, and Fleur dazed off in thought about him, just for a second.

Harry Potter seemed to be older than his age, or at least in her eyes. He had to compete in this tournament which she believed he hadn't set out to be a part of, and he still retained his kindness and she would never forget what he had done for her.

Gabrielle. Even though she knew now, she had never been in real danger, when she knew it was her underneath the water, she had felt the icy water all over again, even though she was wrapped in a towel and a heating charm.

And little Harry had been the one to save her. He was braver, and was doing better than her in the tournament even though she was two or so years older than him.

She felt jealous, yes, but she also felt as if she owed him so much more than she could give.

Her eyes followed him, to where he met a woman and a younger man. Both ginger, and one slightly familiar. She watched him from over her mother's shoulder, and remembered where she had seen the younger man.

That picture on the goblin's desk!

Personally, Fleur remarked in her head that that picture had not done him justice at all. He seemed a lot more, well, beautiful in this light.

She wasn't calling him beautiful in a feminine way, more that he was so masculine she couldn't call him anything else. His shoulders were incredibly wide and his hair was pulled into a long ponytail, wavy and free.

And there was the earring he was wearing. It was a fang which glimmered and Fleur couldn't help but wonder where he had got it from. He had just one earring, too.

It was just so oddly beautiful, you'd understand it if you saw him. He looked worn but strong, like a good pair of leather boots you could depend on.

Fleur supposed that was an weird analogy.

Gabrielle followed her eyes and grinned, "I think Harry is quite lovely." Fleur absently agreed, nodding her head and muttering something like 'me too.'

"I think, I would rather support him instead," Gabrielle grinned cheekily, and Fleur began to agree, getting in half a nod before realising what she said. Her mother was just smiling softly at the exchange, having an inkling of what had actually gone on.

"Oi!" Fleur grabbed her nose and shook her face, and Gabrielle stuck out her tongue. "You better cheer for _me_!"

Fleur took a second to shoot a fleeting glance at the familiar code breaker as he left the chamber, then focused on her sister and mother completely.

She had time to find out who he was later. She had to put her all into winning the third task, or at least coming back from it.

"We will always support you." Her _maman_ spoke to her in English, and for the first time that day Fleur smiled from the heart.

 **I'm going to split this up with the actual task because I don't want to make the chapters too long. Sorry for the probably horrendous French, I tried to keep it to a minimum. Also, sorry for the weird chapter names, I can't think of anything better than odd song references. I need to change it, if I remember.**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	3. 03 - ‘man overboard’

This was not a good idea.

Fleur was regretting a lot of things. First and foremost, putting her name into the goblet to begin with.

She had secretly hoped she wasn't going to be picked, and it was just a formality that she was putting her name into the goblet.

However, fate brought her to become one of the champions, and the last one out of the starting point. She wouldn't give up just yet.

"In second place, with eighty points — Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" Applause. "And in third place — Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

That was her. She was there, competing in front of so many people. They'd all be there to see her fail- they all clapped politely now. She tried to shake off the negativity and looked towards her fellow champions.

Both Diggory and Krum both looked ready to run at any moment, but Harry had been looking up at the stands, where his family sat.

No, not where his family sat. Where the ginger, _Weasley_ (she had figured out), family sat. Where the tall code breaker with the nice hair sat, waving back at him.

Fleur looked towards where her family would be sitting, and gave them a small, determined nod. She would try her best.

Before she realised what was happening. The whistle had blown, and Harry and Diggory, Cedric, had set off.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then after a moment, the whistle was blown for Krum to set off. Then it was just her, watching Bagman, and waiting for him to set her off.

"Three- Two- One-," he blew on the whistle, and a sharp noise she had heard twice before rang out. And then she ran.

She dashed into the maze, with no regard for what was in front of her. She wasn't sure if she wanted the crowd to see her panic, and before she knew it she had already made two turns, both left, and she was completely lost in the maze.

Beside her, the hedges loomed and cast shadows as far as she could see. She began to feel cautious and a bit stupid for not slowing down at the beginning. She could barely see, after all!

She grasped at the wand in her pocket, before remembering about the most basic spell she thought she had ever learnt.

"Lumos!" She felt herself relax a bit when she could see the path in front of her, and started at a brisk walk forward, trying not to slow down, despite how terrified she was.

She was all alone, and she knew it. She advanced, and took any random turn she could. Her brain just wasn't cooperating, she felt like it was fried.

She started running again. It distracted her from how alone she was, and how scared she was, so she ran as fast as she could, through a particularly misty area, and past many dangers which she just had not considered.

She felt like someone was following her, like she could hear footsteps which just weren't there. She sped up, but not before shooting a quick curse behind her, just to satisfy herself. There was nobody behind her, obviously.

She hadn't run into anything yet. It was odd, but she was grateful- she was sure she wouldn't be able to remember anything if she had bumped into an enemy, let alone offensive spells.

The shadows loomed and seemed to twist before her eyes. She looked into two crossroads, and saw a dementor near the end of her vision at the end of the left path.

She almost cried in shock, but decided the smarter option was just to sprint away on the right path, as soon as possible. So that's what she did, until she came to a dead end.

She cursed under her breath, and turned around to find her way back, but instead of the empty path she came through, she saw something more terrifying.

The face of a man, grinning wickedly, lit up by the light of her wand. She couldn't think of what to do, or cast, and before she knew it, a shriek had forced it's way out of her chest.

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!"_

Fleur had belted it, the scream forming as a gutteral screech, right from her stomach. The fear had already frozen her, but he took the extra measure to cast a spell on her, "stupefy!"

She fell to the ground, and that was the end of her attempt at the third task. Later, she would thank the heavens that she did not compete further, after learning about what would happen to Cedric Diggory.

 **I have no idea why these are so short! But yeah please give me advice on how to make these less... bad. Also wondering if I should type in the accent, or would that look stupid?**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	4. 04 - every end is a new beginning

Fleur had learnt everything which had happened in the next day. She had bumped into Harry's friend, Ron, who had explained it to her in an awkward, shaky voice.

She hadn't been there when Cedric was first returned. Wasn't there to see Harry losing it, refusing to let go. She was glad.

She wouldn't have been able to handle that, but she could handle an explanation:

"The, uh, cup. It was a portkey. It took them to a graveyard, and they had used him to complete a ritual, to bring _you-know_ - _who_ back. The blood of an enemy. Harry somehow got out of there, and returned with the cup, and Cedric. And then, Moody-" Fleur let out a little gasp, remembering what had happened, and finally putting a name to the grinning face,

"took him away, and then revealed it was all him who did it and sabotaged him. But then the Professors saved Harry from him and revealed it wasn't him, but instead some bloke called Barty Crouch," he sighed, getting to the end of his tale. Fleur let her eyes fill up with tears, but quickly blinked them away.

It was just so terrifying. "Thank you for telling me," she murmured with a tone of mourning, "it is so sad to see a good man like Diggory pass." Ron took a sharp breath and patted her on the back, maybe a bit too harsh for a girl who was on the verge of tears.

She smiled at him and patted him on the arm, and then Molly Weasley, the mother, called him in. She said something about an argument, or Fudge, and Fleur didn't think it was her place to enquire so she left it.

She just didn't feel like going back to her dorms, and so ended up taking a seat a few meters away from the infirmary, on a windowsill. She looked out of the window, pensively.

The weather just didn't match the situation. It was summer, so the birds were out, singing, and usually there would be students mulling about, but there was nobody in sight.

They would all be holed up in their dorms, scared to come out. And honestly, if she went back, she probably would have ended up the exact same. So maybe she was just staying out to avoid that.

She imagined the kids, little first years, running around and playing games like tag and just being happy. It felt like a millennia away, that you could even imagine that happening at Hogwarts.

Before she could think about it more, the door of the infirmary slammed shut, and out came a very important looking man. "Barking mad, they all are!" He remarked angrily to Fleur, before rushing off.

"I am sure zat zey are," she called after him, with a thick accent. Maybe she was just feeling emotional.

She sat back, and thought about the inflammatory exchange she had just had with him. He didn't seem very happy with Harry, or the Weasleys.

Not long afterwards, the gorgeous ginger man left the room too. Seemingly much less angry when leaving, he slowed when he saw her sitting there.

She turned to him, and blinked in surprise when she saw who it was. "'Ello." She wondered if she was being too forward, but he didn't seem to take it that way at all.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Er, hi. You're the Beauxbatons champion, right?" He knew in the back of his mind, he had to leave quickly, but he couldn't help wanting to talk to girl who was charming him from the first word.

"Was," she giggled, quite nervous to be talking to who had been the subject of her thoughts for a while now, "not a very good one though. Em, I was just thinking-" she paused, was she asking too much of him? "I wanted to know that Harry is okay. And who was that man who walked out just then. He said to me,"

She tried to make a joke out of it, saying it in as British of an accent as she could muster, "'barking mad, they all are!'" The blue eyed man looked down at her and laughed from his belly, and she felt the beginning of a smile rise on her face.

"Bit too curious, aren't you?" He almost smirked at her, while playing with his earring, and she had the decency to blush a little, "but I _suppose_ I could tell you. Harry is alright, he's dealing well, all things considered. And that man, is the current Minister of Magic in Britain, Cornelius Fudge," she gasped a little and he could feel his smile widening.

Her reaction was really cute- he didn't really know why he was finding the conversation fun- it really wasn't a time for fun. After that sobering thought, he realised he had to go. Cutting off her reply, he said, "I must be off now. Bill Weasley, you?"

She frowned a little disappointed at being cut short, and feeling rejected, "Fleur- Fleur Delacour." She tried to smile at him, and even the upturn of lips which resembled a smile had managed to charm him.

He wondered what harm another five minutes would be, but he knew he needed to go. "You weren't that bad of a champion, it's just that you were competing against boys."

He realised, looking back on it, that probably wasn't the best thing to say. And she knew it wasn't the best thing to say. She began to frown, and he quickly took his leave, power walking down the hallway. He had messed up, like he tended to do with girls.

Privately, Fleur thought to herself, even if the man was pretty, it didn't save him from being a prat, and a misogynist prat at that. It was true that she did worse as the only girl, but that didn't mean she was any worse off. It just meant she hadn't performed as well.

She thought about it, but before she could have formed a perfect response for next time she saw him (if she ever did), she was cornered by McGonagall who questioned her about being so close to the infirmary.

She had jumped off the wall and told her, in her most innocent voice, "I only wanted to see poor, little Harry!" But McGonagall just sighed pointedly and reprimanded her.

"Most students would stay in their rooms after an event of this magnitude. It would do you well to follow their example, we've all had a rough day."

Fleur nodded and began to leave, feeling like a 12 year old behind caught snooping again, before being addressed again, "Miss Delacour, would you happen to know where Madame Maxime would be at this time of day?"

"I do not know for sure, but you could try the giant's hut." Fleur said, trying her best to sound innocent.

 **I know that she was actually there at the end of the third task, but I thought it wouldn't be too much of a change to have her not see Cedric's death, I didn't feel like writing it like that. I also know there wouldn't have been that much time between Bill and McGonagall leaving but I wanted to see them interact for the first time. Agh.**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	5. 05 - ‘hello and goodbye’

This was the end of Fleur's time at Hogwarts. She glanced up at the towers and brick walls which were filled with magic and secrets, and wondered if she would ever be returning. The school was old and dreary, but it felt like a special place to her.

But then she saw Harry, standing in a group of students, beside his suitcase, and a cage with a beautiful snowy owl inside it. The owl seemed to emulate his mood, looking sad and forlorn.

"'Arry!" She exclaimed, while scurrying up the stairs. She knew she had limited time, as the Beauxbatons carriages would leave soon.

"We will see each other again, I 'ope," she leant forwards to place a small kiss on each of his cheeks, "I am 'oping to get a job here, to improve my English."

"It's very good already," his friend, Ron, who had explained everything to her, replied in a strange voice. Fleur smiled gratefully at him, and their friend, _'Ermione_ , did not seem pleased at all.

"Good-bye, 'Arry," Fleur gave him her parting words, "it 'as been a pleasure meeting you!" And then she ran off towards the carriages which would definitely not wait for her.

Madame Maxine was standing at the carriage door, and to Fleur's surprise she touched her back as she went in, and smiled at her.

Maybe she hadn't messed up as much as she thought she would. She had tried her best, and prepared as best as she could. She devised plans and methods to get through the tasks, and they just didn't work.

It was sad, but it definitely wasn't because she was a girl. It was because the other competitors were so fierce, and so determined themselves. Not because they were boys.

When she went back to Beauxbatons, she would leave for home, for three days, then she would return to England.

And she really did hope she would see _'Arry_ again. To congratulate him on the win, or to help him defeat the _you-know-who_. Whatever it was, she had begun to feel a deep loyalty towards the boy.

She hurried to sit down beside her friends in the spacious, pale blue carriage and watched through the window as she rose above the clouds. From outside, the winged horses looked majestic, pulling them into the clouds which seemed as soft as cotton candy.

It was the end of her time at Hogwarts, and she couldn't help to feel it was a bad thing, despite all which had happened.

 **Ok, so I don't know whether I want to follow the cannon books and write in exactly what she says there. I feel like I'd just be rewriting chapters from the fifth book and up. But I have so many ideas for small bits at Shell Cottage! Someone help me decide!!**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	6. 06 - ‘moving along’

Fleur woke up on the third day, and realised she was going to move out of her parents place that same day. She was growing up!

She'd have independence, and freedom if she lived in London. She would learn to live on her own merit, and be self-reliant, and that would be exactly what she needed. She had grown up privileged, too used to her parents being there to help her with anything she needed.

But, she'd miss them.

Maman and Papa, and especially little Gabrielle, they'd all supported her and helped her grow up into the person she was. She wouldn't be anything without them.

She'd miss the cinnamon rolls they'd make together when they had a free afternoon together, and how they'd always tidy away her shoes when she'd leave them in the hallway.

She'd even miss the slightly broken swing chair on the patio, and even their cat which hated her (it had viciously clawed at her one day when she was 11, and it had hurt). She'd miss it a lot.

She had to give away anything she wouldn't use, or need in London. She gave her old school books, uniform, and even protective gear to Gabrielle, and anything else she didn't need, she donated or binned (the 7 year old magazine clippings unfortunately had to be binned).

But she wanted to keep her snow globe collection. She had one from every family holiday she'd been on since she was 9. So she packed them tightly between her clothes in her case, and hoped with all her might that her new flat would have the place for a new shelf.

She would buy the other basics later- cooking utensils and loo roll could wait till all her clothes were safely in her new wardrobe. She packed nearly all of her clothes, or everything she could carry.

Her gowns and such would have to come later, with her parents or something like that. She was just excited to see her new place. So excited, that she had woken up at 7 in the morning.

She quickly got ready, because, that was _the day_! The day she'd been waiting for! She showered and used a charm to dry her hair while she picked up a pair of shorts and white t-shirt she had picked out the previous night.

She then rushed down the stairs into the kitchen, where her parents were both sitting at the counter drinking their morning beverages (they both drank a bitter coffee, with little to no sugar). They were leant over what looked like their family album.

She knew her parents were feeling the same melancholy way she was. She rushed behind them and put her arms over their shoulders, "papa, maman!" She kissed them both on opposite cheeks and looked down at the picture they were looking at.

On the right side, there was a slide of her eating a piece of chocolate cake. She was the messiest eater, and the chocolate was all over her face. The worst part was that she was 14, and her sister was howling in tears because she had taken the last piece of cake.

Fleur hadn't felt any regrets about it at the time- it was good cake. But the argument after it, which had lasted a week, just seemed petty (it made her laugh all the same).

"You're up early, are you that excited?" Her mum asked her in French, and even just from the look on Fleur's face, her mum knew she was. She looked so cheerful, bright and full of hope for one of the first times since coming back from the Triwizard Tournament.

It had been such a blow to her pride when she had come last in near every task. So seeing her as she had been at the start of the first task, ready to face off a dragon, left a better, sweeter taste in her mother's mouth than if her daughter had been looking as hopeless as she had the day before the third task.

"Oh yes!" Fleur exclaimed, going to drag her case down the stairs. Before she could take a second to herself, she found herself flooing to her new flat.

It was in an incredibly good place for her, just a 5 minute walk from the leaky cauldron. She knew how lucky she was to have her parents paying for her first flat, and she tried not to take it for granted.

However, she couldn't help but feel disappointed at the state of the place she would be staying for the next few months. It was absolutely midget, from what the lounge area looked like.

It had a sofa and a plush chair stuffed into the corner, with a small coffee table between them. On the opposing side of the room, there were floor to ceiling cabinets with a large gap in the middle (Fleur supposed she would make that her dresser, and fit a mirror in there).

She opened the door to see the dark hallway, which had three other doors and a cabinet space near the front door. She opened the cabinet to see a boiler, and took her shoes off so as not to track mud across the rooms.

"It may be small, and grimy, but at least it's mine," she said quietly to herself, as she began to inspect the other rooms.

Kitchen. Bedroom. Toilet. It was basic, but it had everything she needed, so she began to unpack her things in her bedroom. She pulled out her radio from her enormous case and put it on her bedside table.

She pressed down the power button, and then began to unpack to the sound of the Weird Sisters. She danced around and cleaned the cabinets before she put everything in, and she could honestly say she was feeling more positive than when she had first arrived.

"Fleur!" She heard a voice calling to her, again and again until she finally turned down the radio. She could just tell it was Gabrielle, ready to have the grand tour.

"Yes, dear sister?" Fleur raced over to the lounge and kissed both her cheeks.

"Where eez your bedroom?" inquired Gabrielle.

Fleur lead her to the room she had just been cleaning: "Voila!" She held out her arms and Gabrielle nodded in approval, grinning.

"I like eet," she assesed, and Fleur grinned back.

"Good, because I want you 'ere," at Gabrielle's face, filled with shock and slight horror, Fleur began to backtrack, "not all the time, but I would like eet eef you would stay for some time in summer."

Gabrielle nodded again in the mock assessing role, "zat _could_ be arranged." She then broke character and squealed, throwing her arms around Fleur and they both jumped about and smiled and maybe even let a tear or two flow, because Fleur was all grown up now, and for the first time in forever, they'd be an ocean apart.

 **I can't tell if Gabrielle's English would be good or bad! But hope you liked this chapter, I feel like I'm dragging it out a bit but whatever. She moved to London, and next chapter will be her first day on the job.**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	7. 07 - ‘waiting for love’

It was the day. She would see him again, Bill Weasley. It was the first day of her summer work placement in Gringotts, and she hoped it would help introduce her to the British wizarding world.

She'd be able to confront him on what he had said to her before he left, "competing against boys? That does not mean anything!" She imagined herself saying to him, standing up for herself, and her gender in the same sentence.

She truly believed it too, and more than she'd like to admit it, it bothered her that the man she found so attractive would truly believe a girl would achieve less because she was a girl. Maybe she was blowing his words out of proportion, but they were basically the only words he had said to her.

He had also accused her of being nosy, and looking back that wasn't the best outcome for a conversation either. More than she would like to admit, she wanted to smooth things over with him too. She'd see him again!

Her train of thoughts went like that, as she went through her daily morning ritual. She put a bit too much effort into her makeup, going over her eyeliner with a bit of silver glitter and wearing a particularly deep shade of red on her lips. It wasn't for him, though. Just to make a good impression on her first day.

That thin lie carried her through the doors of Gringotts, where she strutted over to the place her letter of acceptance had said to go- down the hall to the third door on the last, and through that corridor to the last door where she'd meet the person in charge of her assignments for the summer.

She knocked on the door, and she was greeted with a gruff, "come in." She brushed herself down once, surveyed her simple, but cute outfit of a brown skirt with a button down blouse and walked in with all the confidence she could muster.

Behind the desk sat a short woman with frizzy orange hair, and a wide face. "I'm Maddy, you'll be working under me for the summer. You know you won't have an exact job, right? Some days you'll be working with me, trying to assign dates and meetings, some days you'll just be working on paperwork, and some days you'll be taking on one of the more speaky roles, like the goblins do."

Fleur nodded, quickly trying to figure out what she would be best at, and what she would need help with (and who she could ask, as 'Maddy' didn't see like the most approachable woman). She thought she'd be alright at speaking to people, but paperwork was just boring!

"I understand, I will try to do my best," Fleur tried to make herself sound even more sincere, giving her a smile which wasn't exactly tight lipped, or professional. Maddy looked like she was going to break from the pressure of keeping a stern, businesslike persona in front of the girl. So she went to her next point:

"Your English doesn't sound very good, does it?" Maddy tried not to insult her, but realised that posing it as a question didn't make it less insulting. Fleur took it with grace, even though she definitely was insulted.

"Well, I 'ave lived een France for most ov my life," she didn't attempt to smile at the sour woman, "I will try to improve." She nodded at the floor, and Maddy felt guilt rising from her stomach into her throat.

"I'm only saying this because you won't be able to work at the counters until you're understandable," Maddy tried to justify, and Fleur met the woman's eyes, and she felt even worse.

"I understand," Fleur tried to move on, leaving the embarrassment in the past, "what will I be doing today?"

"I'm not..." It seemed Maddy didn't have any plan, "you can shadow me for today, and we can figure out what you're good at through that." Fleur nodded, and looked around, wondering where to set her things down and what to do next.

Soon enough, Maddy called her over to have a look at her books, and go through the records with her to find a certain important client's information to cross out of the books because they had requested complete privacy and secrecy of what was in their vaults.

All Fleur was allowed to know was their name, and she got to work quickly, scanning through every page and wondering if there was a charm to do what she spent hours doing (in the end, Maddy had found them).

Before she knew it, it was lunchtime, and she was sure she would bump into Bill and she would be able to give him a taste of her mind. Or, at least talk to him again.

She was lead to the lunchroom, and made awkward conversation with Maddy while they grabbed a sandwich each. The awkward conversation didn't end there, and because of the fact she didn't know anyone else, Fleur had unknowingly opted to sit with her kind of boss.

"So, do you, uh, like Gringotts?" Maddy had gotten to the worst conversation starter she could think of- a bank.

"Em, yes. It is quite nice. Very spacious. I like the marble." Fleur tried to reply with enthusiam, but she worried she just sounded a bit too eager. She didn't even like Gringotts that much.

Maddy, however, decided to roll with it, "it was created in the 1470's, so it's withstood the great test of time." She tried to make it sound informative, but it just sounded a bit sad, and desperate to talk.

"Oh, 'as it always been run by goblins, or do they just work here?" Fleur asked, genuinely interested in the answer, because she had been greeted by a goblin but she worked under a wizard, just like her.

"I don't know, I think it was put in their hands in the 1850's?" Maddy tried to answer, but before Fleur could reply or ask more, a goblin with an especially crooked nose jumped into the conversation.

"It was a goblin's to begin with, _Gringott_ , and the ministry got it's grubby little paws on it, and decided to _give_ it back in 1965! Lovely lot, they are!" Fleur couldn't help but think the paws comment applied more to the person talking, but decided wisely not to voice her opinion.

Five minutes later, Maddy and their new goblin friend were in a heated debate about the usefulness of the ministry, and Fleur was gazing longingly at the other tables, wondering when Bill was going to show up.

Maybe Fleur was just being a bit sad. Or desperate. By the time lunchtime ended, she realised she _was_ being a bit sad _and_ desperate. She became to anxious to leave that when Maddy had had enough, and began to storm out of the room, she was excited at the chance to escape and trailed after her.

"After all the ministry has done for goblins! Especially after their conflict!" Maddy had ranted on and on at Fleur, and being the kind girl that she was, she listened to Maddy with the utmost attention (maybe just to take her mind off Bill), "the nerve of him! Telling us we don't know how to manage our money!"

Unbeknown to Fleur, as she walked through the corridor, up from the lunchroom back to her new, angry, co-worker/boss's room (she really wasn't sure which one she was, after that argument), she walked past the person who had been on her mind most of the day.

When her attention had been on the freckled woman's non-stop talking, Bill's attention had been on her. She was completely clueless.

He noticed her from a couple meters away, and he fruitlessly wished that she would turn away to see him, but he ended up staring at her the entire time she walked past, with not even a look in his direction.

He couldn't believe she was there, and if he was being honest, he really liked her face.

 **I don't know how to write men's emotions! Do they feel? Who knows! I think my chapters are going to get longer from here, too, so that might be good news! I'm actually not too sure on how I want Maddy to be characterised because she's just an OC, I'm probably just gonna write her as strong and opinionated, and quite judgmental, but I'm going to try and write it in a positive light. This is literally just where I write my notes, not even an author's signing off anymore, oops.**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


	8. 08 - ‘pour me out’

It had been a week since she had started her summer placement at Gringotts, and Fleur was dissapointed to hear that her English was not getting better.

She _understood_ what people were saying, it just took her longer to process it, and she'd often zone out and then blame it on her lingual skills. And getting her point across was quite difficult, as many times she would have to mime out what she was going to do.

This was her situation now, because apparently, "I 'ave to make a tea," was not completely straightforward to Maddy. She mimed out putting a kettle on, and then taking a sip from her teacup before the burly woman understood.

"You're making a cup of tea!" Maddy exclaimed, and Fleur nodded vigorously. "Oh, bring me a coffee too, if you could?"

Fleur sighed, and said, "yes, bien sûr." Then she exited the room they shared quietly, and paced down the hallway. She always felt so claustrophobic after three hours in the same room, and took any excuse she could to take a break.

She slipped into the break room, where she saw... Bill? She assumed he was still doing that Curse-Breaker thing, in Egypt, but no, he was right there sitting in front of her, looking through the papers like he had always been sitting right there.

She panicked. Did she have to say anything? Greeting him would be casual, she supposed, but she also supposed she had to be annoyed with him for being sexist. She did the next best thing, and pretended she hadn't seen him, and began to brew her drinks.

What was she doing? She was waiting all this time to talk to him, and now she was pretending he didn't exist! She felt so awkward, like she had to say something, but she also felt a slight sense of relief, that the man she wanted was sitting there, and not miles away in Egypt.

She turned back purposefully, wanting to greet him before she chickened out, when their eyes met. They had both gone through the same inner crisis at the same time, wanting to say something but at the same time, having nothing to say.

"Fancy seeing you here," he got out, quite smoothly, considering the awkward tension in the air. She flattened down her skirt, and pulled her fingers through her hair, trying to make herself subtly look more presentable.

"I will work 'ere all summer," she replied, "to help me with my English, nothing to do with you." She didn't exactly know why she added in the last statement, and he looked considerably confused about it too.

He stood up, "I, uh, didn't think you came here for me," he paused, "in fact, I'd probably be in Egypt right about now."

"I know," she replied instantly, and to cover up what would be her excessive knowledge of the man, she said, "when I arrived, the goblin tried to ask me whether I wanted to be a 'Curse Breaker', I did not understand so he showed me a picture."

She busied herself with gathering sugar and milk, trying not to seem to nervous while he nodded like it explained everything, even though he doubted she would remember that exact picture and his exact face, "did you want to be one?"

"No!" She exclaimed, quickly looking up at him, "I would not like to be in danger all zhe time, when zhere is no good reason!" He looked visibly affronted by that, and she cursed herself silently for making everything seem so _mean_ when it came from her mouth.

"There is a good reason," he started, but quickly backed down to her stare, "but I understand why you wouldn't want to be in danger, after the Triwizard Tournament."

"Ah, but I accepted zhat challenge. If I was a curse breaker, I would be trying to steal protected wealth, zhat 'ad been kept a secret for many years." She tried to explain her thinkings to him, but he didn't seem to understand.

"That's the challenge I accepted," he replied, using her own words against her. She smiled wryly at him, knowing she wouldn't be able to reason with him. She just wouldn't do it- the things were cursed so nobody else could have it, and it just seemed right to respect that. "But I understand why you would be scared."

"Scared?" Fleur exclaimed, "I am not scared." She folded her arms, waiting for the kettle to switch off so she could pour it into the cups she had got out.

"Alright then, whatever you say," he grinned, and she felt herself melt a little bit. She was so sure he would have made a comment about her being a girl, but he didn't.

"I like zhe job I have now," she paused to pour out the boiling water, "why aren't you in Egypt zhen?" She was curious as to why he was stood there with her, rather than doing the dangerous job he loved so much.

"I stayed back to spend time with my family," an almost rehearsed smile fell onto his face, and she squealed on the inside. He loved his family! How sweet was that!

"Your family seemed nice, spending time with 'Arry," she said quietly, remembering the woman who had been in the room with the two before the final task.

"Harry's my younger brother Ron's best mate," he explained, "we treat him like family." The added, 'because he has nobody else' hung between them, and for a second she wanted to voice it, before reminding herself how rude that was.

"You 'ave a big family?" She asked him instead, and he grinned back.

"You don't know the half of it, I'm the oldest of 7," Her mouth formed an 'o', "yeah, I get that reaction a lot. Surprised my mum could deal with the lot of us, and our various friends over summer every year."

"Your poor mother!" She couldn't imagine having to deal with her children, then some extra, if she had that many in the first place.

Her drinks were already ready by then, so she grasped them both and began to say her goodbyes. He was so handsome, she thought to herself suddenly, that's why she had a hard time leaving the conversation behind.

"I 'ope to see you again," she said to him, and smiled prettily, wilfully charming the man to say something sweet back.

"Instead of hoping, let's actually meet again." He said almost without thinking, "how about we go for drinks sometime?"

She almost did a happy dance, "zhat sounds _brilliant_." Before she could mess it up, she scuttled out of the room and into the corridor, where she walked up to the office she worked in with a renewed vigour.

 _They were going to go on a date!_

 **So, they didn't actually plan a time, or a place, but who knows! They might just think it's a mutual thing when it isn't, or something like that.**

 **-sunkissedbubbletea**


End file.
